Colombia. A total of 11 tracks or thematic blocks with experts from 17 countries; 234 speakers, 27,404 face-to-face attendees were the official figures with which the eighth edition of Colombia 4.0 ended, the meeting of the digital industry and technology that was for three days in the capital of the country.
In fact, in this event a record number was achieved, because on Thursday, September 26, 10,500 people visited the different pavilions of Corferias, becoming the highest figure for a day since this event is held.
In this way, Bogotá showed that she continues to be a fan of animation, video games, music, media, industries 4.0 and Artificial Intelligence (AI); a society interested in expanding its knowledge and creativity in the digital world as a life option and economic development.
In fact, during those three days, the people of Bogota met with the best exponents of the creative industries from countries such as the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Slovakia, England, Spain and Mexico, experts who talked about the latest trends in the video game sector, the opportunities in the development of tools for animation, the growing market for financial technologies (fintech) and the rise of AI in today's world.
However, this technological festival of business entrepreneurship and Orange Economy will not stay in Bogotá, since the Ministry of ICT announced its transfer to the city of Barranquilla (Atlántico) on November 6 and 7, and Pereira (Risaralda) on November 21 and 22.
This was announced by the Minister of ICT, Silvia Constaín, who said at the close of the meeting that "we are already organizing the transfer of Colombia 4.0 to the cities of Pereira and Barranquilla. In addition, I want to highlight the generosity of all the speakers who came and were left with a very positive image of what is happening in Colombia with the Orange Economy, technology, connectivity and the development of the creative industries."
The protagonists
Undoubtedly, one of the protagonists of this version of Colombia 4.0 was the American Aphton Corbin, one of the outstanding animators of Pixar Animation Studios, who captivated the attendees with a life story full of nuances: her career in the digital animation sector is proof that dreams are achieved overcoming the obstacles that are in the way.
Another name of stature was Andrew Ng, the AI guru who worked for Google and Baidú, and current director of Landing AI, founding partner of Coursera and important researcher in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the world, who did not hide his confidence in the talent of Colombians and in the opportunities of the country to strengthen this sector, because he said that "it is enough to have an idea, believe in it and materialize it in a project through all the tools offered by AI".
And to show that Colombian talents also star in the creative industries around the world, Jairo Sánchez, artist at Blizzard Entertainment, spoke about the opportunities that video game programmers have in the big international brands; becoming a role model for young Colombian developers.
The renewal of the themes in Colombia 4.0 was also the protagonist, as experts arrived who talked about Orange Toolbox; industries 4.0 and AI, the three new tracks that for the 2019 version met expectations and responded to the needs of the capital market.
"We have an absolutely active and innovative ecosystem, so in Colombia 4.0 we were talking about everything that is a trend, because entrepreneurship and innovation joined technology and digital creative industries; we are very happy with this successful closure in Bogotá, which gives us a boost to continue in the regions," added the MINISTER OF ICT.
Colombia 4.0 in Barranquilla and Pereira
One of the great conclusions that Colombia 4.0 leaves in the 2019 version is that the talent is in the regions, as shown by the figures of users connected via streaming from different parts of the country.
In fact, one of the main bets of the Government is to generate capacities and opportunities for entrepreneurs and creatives, to boost the ecosystem of the digital industry and continue to produce quality content.
Colombia 4.0, in partnership with Héroes Fest, will arrive in Barranquilla on November 6 and 7 and Pereira on November 21 and 22, a great opportunity for Colombians to be inspired by themes of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation.
